O-1 Extraordinary Ability Visa
The visa for people who are exceptional at what they do.
The O-1 has no lottery, no annual cap, and can be approved in as little as 15 business days with premium processing. If you've built something, published something, or been recognized for your work, you may already qualify.
Built for people like you.
Startup founders
Raised funding, launched products, or built companies with real traction, including founders who want to work for their own U.S. startup.
Engineers & researchers
Published work, patents, significant open-source contributions, or critical roles at distinguished companies and labs.
Creatives & media
Designers, filmmakers, artists, and writers with a distinguished body of work and recognition to match (O-1B).
Anyone the field looks up to
Judged competitions, spoke at major conferences, earned a high salary, or got press for your work? Those all count.
What USCIS actually looks for.
USCIS looks for evidence of extraordinary ability across eight criteria. You don't need all of them. You need at least three, argued well.
You need at least 3 of these 8 criteria
Awards
Nationally or internationally recognized prizes or awards for excellence in your field.
Selective memberships
Membership in associations that require outstanding achievement, judged by recognized experts.
Press about you
Published material about you and your work in professional or major trade publications or major media.
Judging others
Serving as a judge of others' work, grant review, hackathon judging, peer review, award panels.
Original contributions
Original scientific, scholarly, or business-related contributions of major significance to your field.
Scholarly articles
Authorship of scholarly articles in professional journals or major media.
Critical role
Employment in a critical or essential capacity at organizations with a distinguished reputation.
High remuneration
A salary or other compensation that is high relative to others in your field.
Which of these sound like you?
Tick every one you could show real evidence for. It's private, instant, and not legal advice, just a fast read on whether a O-1 case is worth a conversation.
The Silverpoint Guarantee
Approved, or your attorney fees back.*
If we accept your case and USCIS does not approve your petition, we refund 100% of the attorney fees you paid us. This is a refund promise about our fees, not a guarantee of any government decision, which rests solely with USCIS. Government filing fees and third-party costs are excluded. Read the full terms.
Why we can offer it
- We assess your case in writing before you pay us anything.
- We only take cases we believe USCIS should approve.
- RFE and NOID responses are included in every flat fee. We finish what we file.
A clear process, on a clock.
- 01 Day 0
Free strategy session
A 30-minute call where we map your background against the O-1 criteria and tell you honestly whether you have a case, and if not yet, what would get you there.
- 02 Within 48 hours
Written eligibility assessment
Within 48 hours you receive a written criterion-by-criterion assessment: where you're strong, where you need evidence, and our recommended strategy.
- 03 2-5 weeks
Evidence building
We draft the legal argument, gather exhibits, and prepare expert letters with you. You review everything before it's filed.
- 04 15 business days
Filing & decision
We file your petition with premium processing. USCIS must respond within 15 business days.
One flat fee, quoted after your free assessment.
One flat attorney fee, RFE and NOID responses included. Government filing fees and premium processing are separate and paid directly to USCIS.
Payment plans available. See how our pricing works.
- Free strategy session + written assessment before you engage us
- Senior strategist and licensed attorneys, start to finish
- RFE and NOID responses included, never an add-on
- 100% attorney-fee refund if your petition isn’t approved*
- *See full guarantee terms.
O-1 questions, answered.
Do I need to have won a major award to qualify?
No. A major internationally recognized award (think Nobel-level) qualifies on its own, but virtually all successful O-1 cases are built on meeting at least three of the eight regulatory criteria, things like press coverage, judging, critical roles, and high compensation. Most qualified people underestimate their own evidence.
Can founders sponsor themselves?
You can't literally self-petition an O-1, but your own U.S. company or an agent can serve as the petitioner. We structure founder cases routinely, including for early-stage companies.
How long is the O-1 valid?
Initial approval is up to 3 years, with unlimited 1-year extensions after that. Time on an O-1 also builds naturally toward an EB-1A green card. We design O-1 cases with that next step in mind.
What if my case is denied?
If we take your case and USCIS doesn't approve it, we refund 100% of our attorney fees. That's only possible because we're honest at the strategy-session stage about who has a case and who doesn't.
Does my spouse get a visa too?
Yes, spouses and children under 21 receive O-3 status. O-3 spouses can't work, which is one reason many clients move to EB-1A or NIW as soon as they're ready.
Find out if the O-1 is your path.
Click the button below to see if you qualify to work with Silverpoint. It takes just 3 minutes.
Completing the form does not create an attorney-client relationship, and your details stay confidential.